"Catching the Light in Lakewood"

[Stan Austin]

http://www.lakewoodobserver.com/read/20 ... ademy-2012

[Alex Belisle]

Stan, did you write for a newspaper or were you an English teacher? That's a fine piece of writing!

[Stan Austin]

Thanks Alex! I did the City Council reports for the Observer when we first started. The Police Academy article is one of my favorites. You know that when you start to write something you have a theme or rhythm in mind? For this I just took the class syllabus as the general outline. And, lurking in the back of my mind was a 7th grade trip to the Civic Auditorium to see "Our Town." (You know, when they were force feeding us numskulls culture). In that play the narrator plays a significant role and so I just did a riff on the narrator and used the dispatcher dialogue to move it along.
Like I said, one of my favorites. And, the Academy is a great opportunity.
Stan

[Alex Belisle]

In light of something told to me by a resident of Lakewood who had her beautiful Victorian home razed for the sake of economic development, I sure hope none others like this one will suffer the same fate? Does "eminent domain" also cover homes that have been listed on the National Registry?

[Alex Belisle]

Shannon Cotto - Lakewood's only deaf athlete


Shannon is 14, a freshman at Lakewood HS and their only deaf athlete. His interpreter Mary Foster tells me that her job can be challenging since there aren't signs for certain basketball terms but from what I observed, they both did very well transmitting the important info from his coach Dan Toole (freshman boys basketball team). When I spoke to some parents/fans in the stands, they only had good things to say about him. After first meeting him at football practice during the summer and watching him play basketball briefly, I decided, after getting a Facebook request pleading with me to take his picture, to shoot a whole game and the resulting photos proved to be quite worthy of the task.


http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/ ... af-athlete

[Gary Rice]

Alex,

If I were responsible for giving you a journalistic award, I would do so. Congratulations to Shannon and all who have helped him to be where he is now.

Lakewood schools have many wonderful attributes, among them being an accepting inclusion for all.

Being severely hearing impaired myself was a struggle in school and I have to say that schools were not always as receptive to dealing with that issue as they are today. Even the Lakewood schools of the 1950's and 1960's (my time) were not the quite the same as when the 1970's came along. In 1973, public law 94-142 started the national ball rolling towards assisting those students dealing with exceptional challenges in their lives.

Helping that to come about, I became one of the pioneer secondary-level special educators in this state, starting as a Learning Disabilities tutor at Emerson Junior High before moving on to another district.

Shannon, always remember: No limits, ever!!!!

I made it somehow.

You are ALREADY making it!

You and Alex brightened my day today.

Back to the banjo!

[Alex Belisle]

Thanks Gary - maybe a Pulitzer for small town photo-journalism? ? LOL

Here's a great shot I got of Lakewood HS Varsity girls basketball Coach Harper and his wife. Aren't they cute!

[Alex Belisle]

1/22/16

Who would've thought that by moving to Lakewood, I not only would be catching the light in regard to still photography but also now with movie production? Not me, that's for sure.

Just met an indie movie producer who shoots "film noire" and "cinema verite" on locations in Lakewood and Cleveland (who incidentally is also from NYC) who has invited me to do some embargoed shoots on set.

After looking at Simon Annand's wonderful book which I picked up an autographed copy at the Royal Shakespeare Company in England http://www.simonannand.com/the-half/ "The Half". I'm looking forward to shooting in a similar genre such as this.

[Alex Belisle]

Once again for me, since I heard them first at the 4th of July festival in Lakewood Park, the Lakewood Orchestra put on a great show! Playing to a large audience in Civic Hall (my 1st time there) joined by the group "Disco Inferno" they had the dance pit rockin' and with those 70's tunes blaring, this was the place to be!

http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/ ... -orchestra

[Alex Belisle]

1/25/16

It's one of those Blue Mondays for me after doing 3 big photo-shoots in a row. You know, that letdown you have after being on a high doing what you love. Years ago when I used to run road races in NYC, I called it the second-day effect. It wasn't the day immediately after the hard effort was put in, but rather two days afterward - on Tuesday. It's fairly common with athletes and has a scientific name associated with it but I can't bring it to mind as I write this. No one can maintain peaks of passion or a sequence of elation filled moments continually. We simply burn out.

Too much light will blind you. Trying to catch just the right amount of light is tricky. Ask any photographer. But how about that light in our lives? Some people sadly live their whole life never seeing the light. Can we create light for ourselves? A good friend told me, "Alex, you can't hold on to depression. If you do, it will lead to suicide." Maybe it's not holding onto depression as much as seeing the light fading away in our lives. Dylan Thomas, the poet said: (1914 - 1953)

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

My therapist said we have to sever ourselves from toxic people and toxic situations. It's not always that easy. Life bears down on us and most us self-medicate in one way or the other. We must dare to catch the light otherwise the darkness that is the absence of light will consume us, sometimes slowly, sometimes in the sudden strike of a stroke. Do not go gentle into that good night.

The photo attached to this post is that of a St. Edward HS basketball player lost in a moment, a thoughtful reflection, a worried concern - "how will this end?"

[Gary Rice]

Alex:

Nice pix, pal.

To speak to your condition today, there's a great, funny, and incredibly optimistic poem:

"My Get Up And Go Has Got Up And Went"

...that was put to music by our old friend Pete Seeger. Pete supposedly tried to (and perhaps, did) locate the writer of the poem, but apparently, he wished to remain anonymous.

Check it out on the 'net.

By the way, one time I asked my dear late mom (Betty Rice) how she could smile through all of what had come her way in life. "Gary" said she, with her slight southern accent, "We're all dyin'. The question is, "Are we livin'?"

Then she added this little tidbit: "You're gonna' live 'till you die, so live 'till you do!"

She certainly did, too.

Back to the banjo....

[Jim O'Bryan]

By the way, one time I asked my dear late mom (Betty Rice) how she could smile through all of what had come her way in life. "Gary" said she, with her slight southern accent, "We're all dyin'. The question is, "Are we livin'?"

Then she added this little tidbit: "You're gonna' live 'till you die, so live 'till you do!"

She certainly did, too.

Back to the banjo....

GOLD, pure GOLD!

I have reached Vietnam era numbers recently, and so many others worried. To all of them I have said, "you never have to worry about dying, we all do it, everyone, successfully. So work on your living until you have perfected it then do it again and again and again..."

She was a wise woman Gary.

.

[Gary Rice]

Thanks for those kind thoughts Jim.

Yeah, Mom WAS wise.

Remember my good friends Rick and Cindy, whom I sometimes play music with?

We performed "One Shovel Wide" on YouTube last year, if you recall. That's the song that Dad and I finished on his last day on earth, about a heroic Lakewood gal who shoveled a path up the street for the students last January. You can still hear it if you click the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cwwxvkzasY

Well, Rick and Cindy were also impressed by Mom's quote, (given above) and they were inspired to write a great song about it that can be heard here, called "Live 'Till You Do":

https://soundcloud.com/rickrn/live-till-you-do-wav

Back to the banjo!

[Alex Belisle]

I really, really like all the young people I've come in contact with here in Lakewood, mainly through sporting events and school activities.

This Facebook message I received yesterday from a Lakewood HS student really made my day :


"I think that your photography really gets the public into the youthfulness of the city . . . it is your own personal art that adds to Lakewood's vivacity and culture scene. We'd love some shots and your presence! Thank you very much!"

[Alex Belisle]

Just received my 1st wedding shoot invite since being here in Lakewood.

"You took my favorite picture at One World Festival. Now I'm inviting you to an event in Lakewood, Feb 13. On Manor Park Blvd. It will be an amazing combination of people helping me celebrate my wedding. We'll have German band folks, Irish family, people from Nebraska, and friends and family from all over. It should be fun - may get some great character shots."

Don't worry. I'll be there and as for "great character shots" - there will be plenty!